Down to Earth

• 1. Introduction Helen F. Siu and David Faure 2. Lineage on the sands: the case of Shawan Liu Zhiwei 3. Territorial community at the town of Lubao, Sanshui county, from the Ming Dynasty Luo Yixing 4. Ordination names in Hakka genealogies: a religious practice and its decline Chan Wing-Hoi 5. Notes on the territorial connections of the Dan Ye Xian'en 6. Notes and impressions of the Cheung Chau community James Hayes 7. Reinforcing ethnicity: the Jiao festival in Cheung Chau Choi Chi-Cheung 8. The alliance of ten: settlement and politics in the Sha Tau Kok area Patrick Hase 9. Lineage socialism and community control: Tangang Xiang in the 1920s and 1930s David Faure 10. Subverting lineage power: local bosses and territorial control in the 1940s Helen F. Siu 11. Conclusion: history and anthropology Helen F. Siu and David Faure Notes Character list Index.

"[F]ascinating essays are integrated into a tightly woven volume by a set of common questions which are excellently discussed by the editors in their introduction and conclusion."—Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society "This is an important volume for Chinese studies and for social scientists interested in the ways in which constructions of kinship and descent can be used to legitimize claims to settlement, expropriation, and control."—American Anthropologist "In yet another fine monograph focused on the history of lineage in South China, Faure shows that administrative transformation of county government and ritual reforms leading lineages to create family temples led to the emergence of lineage-centered society... A welcome addition to other pivotal studies on lineage."—CHOICE "It is encouraging to read a work such as this one that incorporates solid contributions by scholars from different disciplines and from different parts of the world, including three researchers in mainland China."—The China Journal "The title of this book is very astute... the book is down to earth in that is stays away from rarefied generalisations about Chinese society, and instead takes us deep into the complexity and richness of the history of one region of China, the Pearl River Delta."—Pacific Affairs "One of the main aims of this book, as stated by the editors, is to integrate history and anthropology by means of a common agenda. I believe this aim has been achieved."—China Review International